Scotchegg
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You have and you're entitled to that view.
Transfer News Summer 2023 Transfer Window Thread
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You have and you're entitled to that view.
Grumpy Git
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The10 games of last season, he was left with a dogs dinner of crap. The fact that we stayed in League One is a testament to him. If we’d kept with the clown, we’d be playing the likes of Salford, Crawley and Harrogate.
He has brought in some excellent players and it takes time to gel, what he still needs to do is offload the shite but that may take until next season due to contracts.
I for one couldn’t give a rats a**e about the Bristol game, away, against a decent Championship side. We now concentrate on the league, COYY’s. Let’s have it.
dickwalton1964
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You can’t compare. Different owners, different expectations. Wasn’t it a five year plan to get in to the Championship ? We’ve had four of those years. Is there really any Oxford fans who will be content with a steady, no dramas, type of season ? One where we are just happy to not repeat last season’s relegation scrap, maybe bask in the ‘glory’ of beating Derby or Reading or reaching the 4th round of the FA Cup or the quarters of the Pizza Cup. To be honest, if that was the extent of our ambitions I’d probably hand my season ticket back this afternoon. Last season was the most unexciting in recent memory, I couldn’t sit through 46 games of that again.
Chippy
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Great list Sarge, I add in Mal Shotton, Chicken George, and the legendary Roy Burton. Plus the never to be forgotten Peter Houseman.
Some fantastic names on that list though and a number of others that could easily be added.
Mad Dog
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For me:
Joey Beauchamp
Micky Lewis
Les Robinson
Matt Elliott
Ray Houghton
Chrissy Allen
Dean Saunders
Garry Briggs
John Aldridge
John Byrne
Paul Moody
John Durnin
Phil Whitehead
Jim Magilton
Trevor Hebbard
Neil Slatter
Danny Hylton
John Lundstrum
James Henry
Rob Dickie
yellowbow
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I once read a really interesting book about a US Marine’s experiences in Vietnam. He described it as long drawn out periods of extreme boredom interspersed with flashes of excitement, fear and horror.
A bit like these transfer window threads really…
A bit like these transfer window threads really…
m
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My favourite Oxford player of all time.
RyanioBirdio
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He’s the best paid player in the history of the football club by a million miles. At some point he needs to do a bit more for himself rather than other people needing to accommodate him all the time. His body language is frequently terrible and his performances have been miles short of what’s required for over a year.
He chose to stay and he wanted the money, and that does mean he has to be held to higher standards than most. We quite literally cannot afford to carry him while he stomps around and throws a tantrum like he did in midweek after gifting the opposition a goal. He needs to show something, because we’re getting better performances and a more positive attitude from teenagers and players who are on a quarter what he is.
If he’s that good he will step up.
m
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Cheese, MDMA, go-karts, old cars, biscuits...what are you saying?!
Yep - 8-10th place finish would be doing well after last season and the time it takes to rebuild.
TailsWeWin
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I had been an enormous admirer of Cam
But Birdio is right; he needs to sort himself out. And FFS stop these wild 30 yard “efforts” on goal when he’s frustrated.
Please.
Scotchegg
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Probably an awful lot would be happy with this if it was about building the foundations for the following season rather than just going through the motions.
The mighty Aldo
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Thinking back to the fabulous Aldo and Dean Saunders they both had the knack of knowing where to be in the box when the ball was out wide.
The closest to that in recent years is Matty Taylor.
What we don’t have now and indeed second half of last year is a forward who anticipates where the cross/pass will end up .
There was a couple of times in the match v Cambridge where first Harris and then O Donkor were on their heels gather than anticipating where the cross would go.Now that can’t be coached into a player you either have it or you don’t and we don’t at the moment
The closest to that in recent years is Matty Taylor.
What we don’t have now and indeed second half of last year is a forward who anticipates where the cross/pass will end up .
There was a couple of times in the match v Cambridge where first Harris and then O Donkor were on their heels gather than anticipating where the cross would go.Now that can’t be coached into a player you either have it or you don’t and we don’t at the moment
Belgium Yellow
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You'd have to add Saunders even though he is a t**t.
Probably add Moody as well.
And someone less high profile who falls under the radar - Ceri Evans.
Interesting debate on what we should be entitled to expect of Manning at this point in his tenure. Both sides making fair points.
What I would say is that I think the least you can expect from a new manager who is looking to develop a team is that they sort out a strong system when out of possession to tighten up a defence and make a side difficult to beat. First you become difficult to beat, then you start to win. With the caveat that I have not been able to watch either game yet this year, and so am going on reports from others, jt sounds like we are still defensively a little porous. That to me is a concern - Manning has been here for about six months now. Maybe they were just blips (and I appreciate two games is a very small sample size, and by all accounts we looked solid enough in the PSFs), but, if we are as defensively suspect as some are making out, I think one could be entitled to expect more at this point.
I think also the narrative that he has inherited ‘dross’ needs to be nuanced a bit. Last summer was obviously dreadful; it’s a testament to how bad it was that a year on literally none of those players brought in are close to the starting XI (I suppose other than Brown, if you’re being pedantic). But the side that went out against Cambridge was effectively a mix of Manning signings and players who, the season before last, were ever-presents in a side that looked to be coasting into the playoffs (before the KR wheels fell off). Moore, Long, Brannagan, even MacGuane all played pretty regularly in that side (and i think you could add Browne in there, too). Sure, that side also had the likes of Sykes and McNally, but those ones mentioned weren’t there just to make up the numbers. The starting XI (and some of the wider squad) as it is is now a mix of players who have shown they can be decent League One players and players that LM has brought in. There’s obviously a lot more he has had to sort out, squad cohesion and morale chief amongst them, but if we continue to struggle to get a tune out of that group of players I think it would be legitimate to be critical.
What I would say is that I think the least you can expect from a new manager who is looking to develop a team is that they sort out a strong system when out of possession to tighten up a defence and make a side difficult to beat. First you become difficult to beat, then you start to win. With the caveat that I have not been able to watch either game yet this year, and so am going on reports from others, jt sounds like we are still defensively a little porous. That to me is a concern - Manning has been here for about six months now. Maybe they were just blips (and I appreciate two games is a very small sample size, and by all accounts we looked solid enough in the PSFs), but, if we are as defensively suspect as some are making out, I think one could be entitled to expect more at this point.
I think also the narrative that he has inherited ‘dross’ needs to be nuanced a bit. Last summer was obviously dreadful; it’s a testament to how bad it was that a year on literally none of those players brought in are close to the starting XI (I suppose other than Brown, if you’re being pedantic). But the side that went out against Cambridge was effectively a mix of Manning signings and players who, the season before last, were ever-presents in a side that looked to be coasting into the playoffs (before the KR wheels fell off). Moore, Long, Brannagan, even MacGuane all played pretty regularly in that side (and i think you could add Browne in there, too). Sure, that side also had the likes of Sykes and McNally, but those ones mentioned weren’t there just to make up the numbers. The starting XI (and some of the wider squad) as it is is now a mix of players who have shown they can be decent League One players and players that LM has brought in. There’s obviously a lot more he has had to sort out, squad cohesion and morale chief amongst them, but if we continue to struggle to get a tune out of that group of players I think it would be legitimate to be critical.
I agree and think that's all anybody is saying but people are now pulling that point over the cliff edge suggesting it's bedwetting or whatever else. Nonsense. It's just common sense - we need at least a good performance, quickly. I don’t think anybody honestly thinks he should go, but going the first 5 or 6 games without a win (should it happen) would build up a considerable tension around the place because people will get that sinking feeling back that we had all last season. I'm less bothered about the scorelines right now - I'm far more bothered that no individuals are playing particularly well, we can hardly endanger the opponent's box and seem absolutely mince meat at the back. If even one of those things were different, it may be less hysterical around the forum.
People are perfectly entitled to their views on what they'd do differently. It's only an opinion and after 12 games in this shape, in which 7 regulars from last season started the first game of this (so he can't hate too much of what he inherited), averaging 1 point per game, it's not in any way unreasonable to suggest that what Manning is putting on the field is not taking shape as quickly as expected. Doesn't mean to say it won't eventually, and I'm more than confident that it will, but as of right now it's a very legitimate concern that we don't look like winning a game of league one football. It's a big game today for our season with the games ahead, they need to give us something more than we’ve seen.
dickwalton1964
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But we’ve been ‘building the foundations for the following season’ for about four or five seasons now. At some point that ‘following season’ has to arrive. Would seem now is as good a time as any, to both fit with the owners original five year plan as well as meeting the expectations of the fans. It cannot keep being about tomorrow, it’s about time the club delivered. Luton have delivered and so, fleetingly, did Wycombe.
If you ignore that we fired our manager for terrible performance and appointed a new bloke who needs time to implement his ideas, move on the dross and find his own players.
The Karl Robinson drive for promotion failed. It ended close to disaster. The way that money was allocated through the team was a mess. This needs to be accepted. We are starting again.
I’m a little underwhelmed with Manning so far, but comfortable mid table is absolutely good progress this year, even if we should always be aiming higher.
dickwalton1964
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I respect your view but don‘t share it. There are countless examples of managers turning it around in no time. The league is undoubtedly it‘s weakest for a few seasons, the budget is healthy, the manager arrived in March so he‘s had time to acclimatise, backroom team in place, the recruitment looks decent even if frustratingly slow in key positions and there’s a feel good factor with everyone on side for the first time in a few seasons. It’s all there - mid table will be a poor and unacceptable return.
andystroud
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Sorry if this is the wrong thread,
Any rumours of a signing or two?
Any rumours of a signing or two?
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